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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Adam Adam" <adamng20@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: adamng@indiatimes.com
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 17:38:20 +0000
Subject: Dr.ADAM SMITH

Dr.ADAM SMITH
Managing Director
Prudent Bank Nigeria Plc.
44, Broad Street, Lagos, Nigeria

CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL OF 25.3 MILLION U.S.DOLLARS
I am Dr.ADAM SMITH the managing director of Prudent Bank Of Nigeria Plc,the
banker to the late head of state of Nigeria who died on June 8th 1998 under
mysterious circumstance.
I got your contact through commercial department of your country's embassy
in my search for a reliable and trustworthily person to handle this
top-secret transaction. You must therefore keep this transaction a VERY TOP
SECRET. THE SOURCE OF THE FUND
The late dictator General Sanni Abacha deposited the sum of $25.3 million
U.S. Dollars in his private account means which I am the managing
director,but with serious conferment in me that I would never reveal this to
anybody apart from his wife Mrs. Maryam Abacha, which he got as an over
invoice from the Ajaokuta Steel Mill the proposal largest steel Mill in
African continent. The contract was awarded to a Russian firm, but after his
mysterious death,the new military government that emerged then set-up a
commission of enquiries into all contracts awarded by the late dictator, but
could not complete their mission due to the emergence of a democratic
government headed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the president of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria,who vowed to continue with the predecessor commitment by
setting up commission of enquiries to track down the account of the late
dictator both in Nigeria and overseas, through different ways by media and
other means. In this cause I have declared $800 million United states
Dollars to the Federal Government of Nigeria as the family have no knowledge
of the total amount deposited in my bank.While I have transferred the
balance of $25.3 million U.S. Dollars to a subsidiary of Prudent Bank. With
the knowledge of three senior officers of the bank. But we cannot lay claims
to this fund due to our position in the bank.
We therefore solicit your assistance in transferring this amount to your
private or company account, as this transaction is risk free with our
involvement.We thereby agreed to compensate you with 25% of the total sum
while 75% would be shared among us, the officials. The said amount was
transferred to SECURITY VAULT & FINANCE COMPANY IN ABROAD through diplomatic
immunities granted to banks in Nigeria and coded for security reasons to
avoid a re-occurrence of a past incident in London in which 1.6 Billion
Pounds Sterling belonging to the late dictator was siezed.
If you have any positive response toward my proposal, please contact me
without delay on the above e-mail address.
I look forward to your earliest response
Dr.ADAM SMITH.


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